The new NBC show “Animal Practice,” a half-hour comedy about life in a veterinary hospital, was canceled Thursday because of low ratings. The fourth episode aired Wednesday night and attracted 3.8 million viewers, down significantly from the nearly 5.2 million people who tuned in for the show’s Sept. 26 debut. Three more episodes will be broadcast, including one next week that centers on a Halloween pet costume contest, before the show is replaced by the return of “Whitney” on Nov. 14, the network reported. “Animal Practice” stars Justin Kirk as Dr. George Coleman and Crystal the Capuchin monkey as Dr. Rizzo. In an interview with Veterinary Practice News last summer, executive producer Scot Armstrong said artistic license would be used to generate comedic moments. “It’s going to be a show that portrays vets in an interesting, fun light,” he said. The show employed two veterinarians as technical advisers: Ryan Folse, DVM, of All Animal Veterinary Group in Acton, Calif., and Peter Erling, DVM, of Choice Veterinary Care in Los Angeles and Manhattan Beach, Calif. <HOME>
